Snapshot series
by delicate-storm
Summary: Takes place months after the events in The Avengers. Thor returns to earth with Loki but Loki has been deaged to a baby as punishment for he's deeds on earth. This series spans across a period of time, from Loki being a baby to about 16 years old and being raised by the Avengers. Everybody deserves a second chance and Loki just got his.
1. And found

**A/N This series has been sitting on my hard drive for a long time now and I have decided to just let it out in the world. It's something fluffy and warm, maybe it will make you smile, maybe it makes you forget your worries and concerns for a little while and maybe just maybe you enjoy it, that is all I can wish for dear reader. Also this is unbeta'd but I have looked over it a few times, any mistakes and so on I own completely and hope they are forgiven. Also I am a big fat sucker for kid fics and scmoopiness...**

They did not expect to see Thor so soon after the events in New York City, but Steve Rogers was happy to see him nonetheless and greeted his comrade with a smile and an embrace that started out as awkward but quickly turned into warmth as they grasped each other tightly around the shoulders. They had fought together but their time spent around each other had not been enough to strike up any kind of real friendship but they were bonded now by a fight to save the world. A bond that was now unshakeable.

"I didn't expect to see you back here so soon." Steve admitted stepping away from Thor, who was still dressed in his heavy cloaked armour, Steve smiled to himself he was again in the company of a god, none of the kind he had ever read about in Sunday school when he was a boy that was for certain.

"Loki?" Steve wanted to know immediately, because that was what all of them here on earth had wondered and mulled over for days, how exactly would the demi god get punished for his actions. Bruce Banner had read up on some of the Norse mythology stuff and it had not made for easy reading nor listening. Loki getting his mouth sewn shut was one, Loki tied to a rock for all of eternity with a serpent dripping venom in his face, that one had been interesting to say the least and then there was something about Loki being left in a tree until someone would shed a tear for him that had been a little funny the Avengers admitted but none of them could be certain what punishment the All Father would muster for the grievances caused by Loki this time around. All they knew for certain was that it would not be pretty and some of them secretly pitied him.

"He is... there has been some developments my friend." Thor whispered and he was about to explain when from behind his shoulder there was the cry of a baby, the cry was high pitched and demanding of attention, it sounded so foreign and strange in the halls of Avengers Towers.  
"Fandral!" Thor called and heavy footsteps fell on the tiled floors in the corridor coming closer and closer towards them until the man named Fandral stepped inside.

He was dressed like Thor in warrior clothing that was made out of thick buckskins and leather and metal. He was blonde and blue eyed and Steve knew he was one of Thor's friends, because that had been in the books Bruce had read as well. Thor's comrades the warriors 3 and Sif.  
And now Frandal looked like he had fallen right off from the pages of those books and he looked uncomfortable because in his arms was a squirming bundle wrapped in soft white fur.

"Give him here." Thor ordered and Fandral looked relieved to hand over the tiny package that whimpered softly now.  
"A baby?" Steve asked and Thor pulled the fur back and a small infant looked back, its hands were pulled into tight little fists that it stuck into its small mouth and sucked sloppily on, only to realize it bore no sustenance and it began crying again.  
"It's my brother...this child is Loki. And I am afraid he is incredibly hungry."  
Thor said rocking the child who would not cease its incessant cries.

"Is this his punishment ," It all clicked into place for Steve quickly. "Was this what your father really decided?" he asked dumbfounded.  
"It was either this or certainty of death." Thor explained.  
"What is going on?" Pepper asked and none of them had even noticed her walking into the room.  
"Thor's back, and so is Loki." Steve said and he could see on Pepper's face the same kind of dubious look that must have been on his face seconds ago. It all felt so surreal.

"The baby are you kidding me?" Pepper asked.  
"I'm afraid not and I am in need of your assistance because as you can tell I have no idea what I am doing." Thor said and Loki screamed louder drowning out Thor's voice.  
"How old is he?" Pepper asked.  
"He was born this morning milady." Fandral spoke up.  
"And his mother? Which is your mother and then reast feeding him is out of the question I guess." Thor finally managed a smile one that was however etched in sadness and deep regret.

"She doesn't know of his fate and even if she did I doubt she would be able to aid him in that area."  
"So we need to get some bottles and baby formula, Steve get one of the agents to run to the store tell them it's an emergency and also tell them to get some diapers for a newborn baby."  
"What if they want to know why?" Steve asked. Pepper rolled her eyes and patted his arm in a motherly fashion, a small smile on her face.  
"This is still Stark Towers Cap." She reminded him. "They'll do it go on get done so Loki can feed."  
Steve did as he was asked, disappearing quickly and returning a few minutes later with news that an agent had been sent to the nearest store and had looked of course unimpressed by the order but did it quickly when Steve threw Tony's name at him.

Steve returned to the room and Loki was quiet now having drifted off into some tiresome sleep.  
"Okay now that we have food on the way for him I need an explanation Thor." Pepper whispered what she had been meaning to ask the entire time but had waited on Steve to return.  
"Our Father decided between two actions for my brother's sentence, eternal death or for him to be reborn as a mortal child." Thor whispered looking down at Loki intently.

"And you decided the latter." Pepper did not mean for it to sound harsh but it did and Thor looked up at her unmoved.  
"I hated what my brother did to the citizens of earth I despised him for it but at the same time I would not wish death upon him much of what happened was our fault and he deserves a second chance and now he has it." Thor said.  
"And you are going to raise him here?" Steve asked.  
"Aye."  
"Thor!" Fandral was up on his feet. "That is not the terms we discussed, we were to bring him here and leave him here, you told your Father you would do that." Fandral reminded him and Thor shook his head sadly.

"I am not leaving him here that was never my intention. I am staying Fandral and you my friend may take your leave."  
"Your Father..." Fandral began to argue.  
"My Father has no choice in this decision I am staying. Loki needs to be around his family and my father may have given up on that but I am still Loki's family and I plan to take care of him." Thor got up and handed Loki to Pepper. He walked over to Fandral stood in front of him and gripped him tightly by the shoulders.

"Fandral you and I have faced many battles, fought many foes. And I have been proud to call you not only a friend but also brother, but I am afraid tis the end unless my Father changes his mind but until then I am not going anywhere. I am not leaving him."  
"This is a mistake." Fandral whispered.  
"Perhaps, but it's a simple question between what is right and what is wrong and my heart has decided that this is right. I have to stay."  
"The Lady Sif, Volgstagg what do I tell our friends?"

"You tell them..." Thor looked over at Loki who was nestled safely in Pepper's arms. "You tell them the truth, that I am off on a new quest one that is far more important than any I had ever been on before. "  
"There really is no way of making you come home is there?" Fandral asked and Thor shook his head.  
"Very well...good luck to you, to both of you Thor." Fandral embraced Thor. "Till we meet again." He said and then bowed to Steve and Pepper, he was out of the front door and there was a crash of lightning and thunder, a bright light, brighter than any before it and Thor sighed knowing that Fandral was gone.

The agent Steve had sent on the baby supplies errand returned and looked like he had plenty of questions to ask, but Pepper's face alone told him to rather keep his mouth shut which was what he did and he disappeared as quickly as he had shown up.  
They gathered in the kitchen Pepper preparing the bottle of milk according to the instructions and when the formula was cooled down she guided the dummy into the child's small mouth.

"His not doing anything." Thor said with concern standing beside her.  
"Give him a second. He'll figure it out." And like magic Loki started suckling on the bottle slowly but surely until he spat the teat out and was fully fed.  
"What if your father comes here and forces you to go back?" Steve asked.  
"Is that not the reason I joined the intiative called the Avengers?" Thor asked with a weary smile.  
"Absolutely we'll help you anyway we can and this little guy needs to be burped." Pepper said.  
"Burped?" Thor asked as she handed Loki back to him.

"Oh Thor that journey you were talking about to that cute buddy of yours yeah it's a long one, lesson number one, after this little guy drinks he needs to be burped cause he can't do it himself." Pepper moved Loki around Thor's shoulder where he laid slumped.  
"Rub his back like so." Pepper instructed and she moved Thor's hands up and down along the length of Loki's small back.  
"Pepper you are a godsend." Thor admitted and she smiled.

"All those hours babysitting in college is finally paying off." It was quiet in the room for a while as Thor rubbed Loki's back gently.  
"Are you having second thoughts big guy?" Steve asked and Thor shook his head.  
"No." Thor smiled. "Well not just yet. I am just marvelling at how small a thing he is."  
The rest of the Avengers walked in much later and there was a stupefied silence as Thor retold the story of what had happened to Loki in Asgard, followed quickly by a go around of who could hold the baby first. Clint somehow won and he cradled Loki who was burped and sleeping still wrapped in the warm fur.

"So this is real, he is really Loki, the same Loki who climbed in my head and messed up this whole city it's that same Loki?" Clint asked.  
"Yes the very same one." Thor whispered as if it were an apology.  
"I'll be goddamned, you guys sure know how to dish out punishment up there wait till Fury hears about this." Clint said running a hand over Loki's soft hair.  
"Leave Fury for now, for now we need baby supplies, clothes he can't go around naked." Pepper held out a hand to Tony who stared at it like he had no clue what she wanted. And then it dawned on him.  
"Really how am I supposed to pay for this?" Tony asked.

"Just pay up...Thor how long do you plan on staying here with us?" Pepper asked as Tony handed his credit card over and not looking happy about it at all.  
"I have not given it much thought." He admitted as Clint passed Loki back to Thor.  
"This is your home big guy I cleared a floor for you in case you dropped by so mi casa es su cas."  
"What?" Steve and Thor asked in unison.  
"My home is yours and that little guy's." Tony pointed out.

**A/N Thank you for reading! Have a splendid day because you are splendid person and deserve all the splendor. Another part up in a day or two ;)**


	2. Now kiss

**A/N Firstly thank you for adding this little story to your alerts and the reviews it means the world to me! Up next Loki is eight months old and he is a little match maker, sort of you, kind of, you will just have to read and see. Warning contains Steve/Tony no slash obviously we are all about the fluffiness and schmoop here. On to the story...oh and again story is unbeta'd but I have gone over it many, many times and chances are I missed something so yeah story is mine and so is the mistakes now to the story really...**

Eight months after appearing at Tony's door the 12th floor of Avengers headquarters and formerly Stark Towers was still the home of Loki and Thor.

Things had changed a lot in that time as is often the case when a child is brought into a family and the changes in the Avenger family were no different. Life changed rather drastically, one minute everyone's world revolved around missions, and work and then the next thing there was this small human being who relied on them and conversations went from saving the world to suddenly what kind of baby formula to use, topics went to organic foods and good diapers and they found themselves asking mom's in the street, "Is it normal for a three month old to sleep so little at night?" with grave concern.

And suddenly there were toys in Avengers HQ, the kind that made lots of noises and had bright lights exactly the kind that Loki loved and baby stuff was all over the place, and who knew babies needed so many things. Suddenly everyone became an expert on what baby products to use and not to use, and then there was the little things like how a group of people who fought evil villains on a daily basis with no fear whatsoever would walk on eggshells when Loki slept. Because as they would have you know a sleeping Loki is a happy Loki and a happy home.

But in the beginning however most of the baby duties had fallen initially in the natural order of things to Thor who had gone from apprehensive, to hands on in taking care of his brother with Pepper's help. But as the days went on taking care of the infant weighed and took its toll on Thor who got little to no sleep and so the rest of the Avengers jumped in to help. Steve Rogers being the most natural of the group, even going as far as to accompany Thor on Loki's doctor's appointments where they were both mistaken for a couple bringing their child in and had to a little embarrassingly explain it was not the case.

At eight months old Loki still rarely sleeps right through the night. And now everyone of the Avengers rooms were equipped with a baby monitor that was hooked up to Loki's nursery. It worked pretty easily whoever woke up first got automatic Loki early morning feeding duty and then with a press of a button lets the others know they can carry on sleeping.

Steve was up first like he usually was and waited a few minutes to see if anyone else would answer the static crying that was coming from the baby monitor, he suspected everyone was doing the same thing hoping someone else would answer the call, it being two in the morning after all and a long day of fighting behind them. The crying continued and he couldn't bare it any longer especially one that had a way of pulling on your heart strings no matter the ungodly hour it woke you up at. Some of the Avengers were a little tougher skinned and just a tad worn out but Steve could take it no longer he reached over to the bedside table pressing the button.

"I got it." He whispered to everyone else and he's words were barely cold when different voices belonging to Natasha, Clint and Banner buzzed back at him.  
"You're the greatest Steve."  
"We love you Steve."  
"What would we do without you."  
"I hate you all." He replied turning the monitor off.

He didn't in all honesty mind getting up, he had always been a light sleeper and ever since coming back from a kind of death he took little to no pleasure in sleeping.  
He climbed out of bed and found his way through the darkness to Loki's nursery further down the hall Thor was snoring, snoring so loud Steve was sure that the rolling thunderous noise had maybe woken the kid up in the first place.  
He turned the light on in the nursery and Loki was sitting up in the crib holding onto the bars looking a picture of misery.

"What's the matter little guy?" And Loki's arms immediately flew up to Steve to lift him and that's when he went falling back against his collection of soft toys. He had begun sitting up on his own a few days ago but still so weak and limp that the slightest bad timing had him falling over. Steve lifted him out of the crib and Loki clung to him. Steve planted a kiss in the soft curve of Loki's neck. Loki had grown so much in the past eight months that he little resembled the baby who appeared with Thor wrapped in fur all those months before. Now he's chubby cheeked and has a head full of raven black hair. Those eyes though they are the old Loki's, they are green and mesmerising but now there is no malice in them, they are alive with innocence and the wishful promise that this time around things would be different.

"You hungry?" Steve asked cradling him close to his chest. Loki smelled of goodness and he settled down and stopped crying the second he was safe in Steve's arms. "Where's your bottle?" Steve looked around. "Ah no, don't tell me..." He cursed thinking Clint had forgotten to prepare a bottle. Behind him someone cleared their throat, he turned around and looked at Tony standing in the doorway wearing a bright smile and dangling a bottle of milk in his hand.

"Clint made his bottles for the night but of course forgot them in the kitchen like he always does.' Tony explained walking into the room showing up like clockwork like he had been doing for the past few weeks.  
"Thanks I just thought Clint had forgotten and we both know how good Loki is in waiting." Steve said taking the bottle that Loki reached out for as well with chubby fat fingers, he was not known for his patience when it came to feeding. "Didn't you hear me saying I was coming to get him?" Steve asked and Loki began fussing in his arms demanding the bottle. "Okay, alright we get it you're hungry Tony can you grab a bib?"

"Nah I didn't hear you say a thing. I think there must be something wrong with the settings of the baby monitor or something been meaning to fix it. I'll check it out later" Tony said reaching for the closest bib to wrap around Loki's neck so he wouldn't have milk spill everywhere.  
'The baby monitors are working fine Mr. Stark." Jarvis computerised voice said out of nowhere.  
"Shut up Jarvis no one was asking you.' Tony flashed a confident smile and looked at the bib which read Party, my crib bring a bottle. "Who bought this?" he asked showing it to Steve who read it and then laughed as well forgetting the baby monitor thing in a second.

"You know who." Steve said as Tony wrapped the bib around Loki's neck, tying it into a loose bow at the back.  
"Lemme guess Fury..." Tony said heading over to the couch.  
"The one and only." Steve said sitting down as well with Loki in his lap.  
"He won't admit it but he loves Loki." Steve stuck the bottle in Loki's mouth who began sucking at it hungrily he's little feet kicking in joy.

"Yeah and who would have ever thought we would love Loki?" Tony asked. "Can you believe it." Tony whispered give the feet a little pinch.  
"I am still waiting for Odin or Frigga to show up or come get Thor but guess that's not going to happen." Steve said running a hand over Loki's head.  
"You really think they would do that?" Tony asked.

"He is still their son sort of...kind of...I don't know but you would think they would have second thoughts about what they did, but here we almost a year later and were still together raising a former demi god aren't we baby." Steve whispered in a light warm tone to Loki who smiled around the dummy in his mouth looking at Steve with undying love and adoration.  
"Yeah my how the times have changed. I smelt like baby vomit the other day in a meeting ,one of the exec's from another company she just smiled at me gave me a understanding wink like we were in on some joke." Tony didn't elaborate that, that had been kind of a good feeling. He had never thought of himself as father material and he still didn't but Loki had a way of making him think it wasn't entirely such a crazy idea.

"I found a pacifier in my suit pocket on a mission." Steve added.  
"I can change a diaper."  
"Tony, you liar you always say that you can't."  
"Our little secret then don't tell the others."  
Steve smiled. "My lips are sealed."  
"You know Tony its going to be a while before he goes back to sleep you don't have to stay up with us."  
"What and miss the party oh no I'm staying. You want coffee I can make us coffee?"

"Coffee sounds nice."  
They made their way to the kitchen, Steve sticking Loki into a rocker on top of the kitchen counter. Loki went for both his feet, his hands pulling them toward his mouth gurgling and talking in his own private language.  
"He looks more wide awake than usual."  
"Damn Fury and his stupid bib jinxed it" Tony tried to sound a little upset but it didn't work at all. "But hey at least we get to hangout." Tony said, not adding that he really hated how they never got to do that what with a house full of people, agents and superheroes there didn't leave much time for getting to know one another. Which was what Tony so desperately needed.  
"Yes there's that." Steve whispered.

"Coffee just the way you like it." Tony said putting a cup down in front of Steve.  
"Thanks."

"You think one day he'll remember the past what he was what he did?" Tony asked.  
"I remember my past...I wouldn't wish it on anyone I certainly wouldn't wish it on him, I hope this is a clean slate for him no past to haunt him no what could have beens."  
"Sorry it wasn't my intention of bringing any of that stuff up."

"I don't mind talking about it really...hey can I ask you a question Stark is there really something wrong with the baby monitor in your room or is it something else?" Steve said unable to meet Tony's eyes instead he stared intently at the cup of coffee he had not taken a sip of.  
"Its fine. I the mean the thing it works and yeah it's something else." Tony admitted.  
"So every night when you hear me answering the call to give Loki his bottle you just..." Steve let the sentence linger, he wanted to hear the words come from Tony's mouth needed to hear it in fact.

"I just...I just wanted to spend some time with you.' If it wasn't for the dimmed kitchen lights it would have been plain to see that Tony Stark was blushing a startling red that would match his Iron Man suit. "And it seems like the only time that's going to happen is when you're taking care of rugrat over here when everyone is asleep...so I take what I get."  
"You didn't need an excuse Tony you could have just said something."

"Loki did offer a great excuse though, didn't you buddy." Loki laughed.  
"If I didn't know any better I would say he was in on it."

"Of course he is in on it, he's my wingman." Tony lifted Loki up out of the baby rocker and held him up in front of his own face. Loki gurgled and drooled staring at Steve. "And my wingman here wants to know if you would like to go out tomorrow night, no baby, no offence baby." Tony gave Loki a quick kiss. "No Shield agents no Avengers just me and you? What do you say?"  
"How can I say no to your wingman? The answer is yes I would like that very much."  
Tony leaned in close to Steve and he covered Loki's eyes with his hands. And he kissed Steve with Loki firmly between them.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed! I enjoyed it a little to much to be honest...next part up sadly only by Monday, it would be up sooner but I have no internet over the weekend and yeah sucks to be me friend. Anyway thank you oh so much for reading have a good day!**


	3. What's in a name

**A/N Thank you for reviewing, adding this to your favorites and following this fic! Much appreciated and I am so glad people are getting a kick out of it!  
Again this fic is unbeta'd but has been read and re-read and fixed to the best of capabilities by yours truly.  
Now onto scmoopy and fluff...**

It was one of those perfect New York summer's mornings when everything felt right and good in the world when Clint and Natasha walked into the kitchen looking a little worse for wear.

"What is that smell?" Clint asked sniffing at the air that smelled delicious. They had been away on one of those top secret assignments they were not supposed to talk about but will as soon as they sit themselves down at the kitchen table with everyone else. And once they would start divulging the information they would remind everyone that it was not supposed to leave the room which of course it did all to often much to Fury's annoyance.

"I am making breakfast are you guys interested?" Steve said from the stove where he was flipping pancakes as the morning sun filtered warmly into the kitchen "You guys interested?"

"You don't even need to ask." Natasha said taking off her jacket and hanging it at the back of a chair. She looked exhausted but she wouldn't complain or say anything. Natasha wasn't one to ever complain.

"How did it go last week?" Steve asked realizing how happy he was just to have them both back in one piece it wasn't ever the same in Avengers HQ when some of their members were away on business.

"Rough let's just leave it at that...how's the kid?" Clint asked and Natasha smiled to herself it had been all Clint was able to talk about when they were away and she had to stop him from phoning home every other hour to check up on Loki.  
"He's good he missed you." Steve said which wasn't maybe the entire truth but Steve just felt it was something Clint needed to hear and he was right Clint beamed immediately and he stuck a elbow in Natasha's side as if to say. _"See? I told you so."_  
"Yeah he probably missed all those bottles you make him." Natasha replied.

"You're just jealous." He told her.

And from the baby monitor sitting on the counter there was a little bit of weeping and Natasha eyed Clint in some unspoken language between the two of them.  
'Looks like someone is finally awake, will one of you get him? Thor's in the shower." Steve asked and somehow the request was turned into a race between Tasha and Clint of who could get to Loki first with both of them sprinting out of the room . Tasha won because she stuck a foot in front of Clint in the hallway who toppled over face first and she made it into the nursery with a resounding and triumphant "Yes!" followed by evil cackling that would have made any villain envious. She picked up Loki who smiled at her brightly through tears. He recognized all their faces now and shied away from strangers in shopping malls who wanted to sneak a pinch at his cheeks which happened to often and way too often for Tony's liking.

"Looks like you've grown squirt." Clint said stealing a pinch of Loki's cheeks and Loki responded with a happy smile that settled it for Clint. Steve was right Loki _had_ missed him.  
"Clint we haven't been gone for that long he looks exactly the same." Natasha said carrying Loki back to the breakfast table like she's won a prize and Clint followed pulling faces behind her back that has Loki laughing in bursts and he moved around restlessly in her arms trying to reach Clint. The sillier Clint's faces the more enjoyment Loki got out of it. Natasha couldn't help but think Loki still had some kind of spell over Clint just like he had when he was older somethings just never changed.

She slid Loki into his high chair which he fought against a little and he clung to her sweater until she pried his hands off and he stopped fussing around once he realized he was sitting beside Tony who was looking like he was recovering from a hangover but it is all working late with Bruce. Since Loki's arrival a lot had changed for Tony he no longer looked for solutions at the bottom of bottles he had someone to speak to instead when problems came up, the same someone who now put a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"Thanks Steve." Tony whispered with a smile.  
"You're welcome."

"Where's Banner?" Tasha wanted to know sitting down and pouring herself a huge cup of coffee.  
"Upstairs still working on our new prototype." Tony answered covering his yawn with a hand.  
"Who wants to feed..." Steve said picking up a bowl of mushy baby cereal that smells like apples.

"I will!" Clint and Natasha shouted in unison and Steve tried not to roll his eyes, everything was a competition with them where Loki was concerned.

Thor walked in slipping a t-shirt over his head and Loki's arms immediately went up towards his brother there was no denying who Loki's favorite was.  
"Morning little one." Thor whispered dropping a kiss on the top of Loki's head. He sat down and pulled the chair closer to Loki who eyed Thor's every movement. When Thor was in the room Loki only had eyes for one person and that was his brother.

"Dada!" Loki exclaimed at Thor and the entire table turned in stunned silence towards the baby who seemingly had no idea or comprehension of what he had just said or done. Forks hit plates and for a long time the only sound was the pancakes sizzling away in the frying pan and the sound of the fridge humming quietly in the corner. It was Thor who broke out of the reverie first.

'No, no, no, not dada its Thor." He said with urgency reaching out and touching Loki's hand.  
"Dada." Loki replied and with Natasha's attention diverted he stuck his fingers into the mushy apple cereal that Natasha put down in front of him seconds ago. "Dada." Loki babbled on and then his fingers found his face and he covered he's cheeks with cereal but no one seemed to really notice there was just that one word now hanging in the air. One word that should never have been spoken by Loki especially to Thor.

"Thor." His brother said exasperated but he was fighting a losing battle and Tasha put a hand on Thor's covering it slightly with her smaller hand.  
"He doesn't understand his too young Thor. You can't reason with him." She whispered and she finally noticed the mess Loki had created and she picked up a napkin and wiped the cereal from Loki's hands and his face.

"But he can't call me that I am not...I am not his father." There were so many things over the months that had come as a surprise with Loki but this one was definitely the most unexpected. This was the one that made him realize how many questions there would be from Loki one day, questions he wasn't sure he would ever know the right way to answer. Loki's heritage had always been a difficult subject and he's second chance appeared to have delivered the same conundrum, there was always going to be this elephant in the room to deal with no matter what Thor realized with sadness.

"We know that you're not his father, we all know that but he is only a baby and you can't reason with him just let it go for now." Natasha appealed to Thor who looked to be lost deep in thought.  
"It could be worse Thor." Tony whispered confidently from across the table as he took a sip of coffee.  
"And how can it possibly be worse?" Thor wanted to know sounding old and tired.  
"Well." Tony said in a tone that was light and humorous, totally not going with the theme of the moment and Steve was about to reign Tony in with a warning. "He could be calling you mama for one." Tony said and no one uttered a word for a second but then the whole table burst into laughter which had Loki laughing as well like he understood the joke.

"Why are you guys laughing it's the truth. At least Loki knows the difference between men and woman and what makes a mama or a dada imagine him calling you mama out in public?" Tony said slapping a hand across Thor's arm.  
"Tony." Steve said shaking his head, the way he said _Tony_ you could tell that Steve has never-ending love and appreciation for this man who had the ability to take a really rough situation and make everyone else feel better and even get them to laugh. Because now even Thor is smiling. And now it all seemed okay again.

'Aye it could be worse." Thor agreed beside himself.  
"He could also be calling you a mewling quim." Tasha added trying to keep a straight face but her own joke got the better of her and she was laughing again.  
"Kneel before me!" Clint shouted angrily and Loki squealed and called Thor Dada again apparently just for the hell of it.  
"See Thor, could be worse buddy, at least our baby is developing well." Tony said proudly.  
"And we are all over looking something very important, he said his first word." Steve lifted his cup of coffee in the air and everyone else lifted their's to.

"Say Hawkeye." Clint told Loki who swiftly replied. "Dada."

"Say Tasha." Natasha tried which was also met with a quick. "Dada." instead.

"Come along let us go show Bruce." Thor said pulling Loki out of the high chair and Tasha and Clint followed whispering other things Loki could have chosen from his elder self's illustrious dialogue to be his first words instead of "dada".

"You called him our baby." Steve told Tony when it was just the two of them in the kitchen.

"I did, didn't I...it just kind of slipped out. Weird." Steve stepped up behind him and dropped a kiss on Tony's hair.  
"No it wasn't weird it was sweet."

**A/N Thank you for reading! Next part up in a day or two. Take care!**


	4. No regrets

**A/N Update day! Firstly thank you sooo much for taking the time to review this story and adding it to your favorites and simply just reading it. Its nice to have an audience and I really do appreciate it.**

**Again fic is unbeta'd but fixed to the best of my capabilities. **

**Now onto the show...**

Two years later and Loki had grown into a smart little boy who is full of life and high on energy. His home is still Avengers headquarters, just like it is the rest of theirs and it didn't seem like anyone was going to be moving out anytime soon. There was a routine to their life now but most importantly there was a place to call home and a family.

"The last time we were here, altogether like this." Tony mused as the team found themselves in Central Park on a warm summer Sunday afternoon celebrating Loki's second birthday with a picnic on the grass. "Was when he was beamed back to Asgard in a muzzle and shackles, if anyone told me this was what was going to happen that day well I would have done more than just laugh at them." Across from the grass is Loki, all two years of him on a playground that is overlooking the lake .

He was swinging upside down from the monkey bars with Thor beneath him to catch him just in case. Loki at two years old has no sense of danger he flings himself around much to the distress of his older brother and every other Avenger. But it's also the sense of expectation that someone will always be there to catch him from hurting himself that drives the toddler to do the silliest stunts. Loki knows and understands in a way that has never been discussed that he is never alone.

"There's a lot of things we never thought would happen, like this." Steve added reaching over and squeezing Tony's hand which Tony squeezed back hard and yep had that not come out of left field as well and more than welcomed and loved ever since.

"A lot of things changed. I changed hundreds of former demi god's diapers." Clint says shaking his head at the memory. "Which turned out being worse than potty training former demi gods who knew."  
"And look at us now talking of potty training." Natasha says nudging him in his side.

"Which reminds me one of these days were gonna have to wean him off from mister sippy cup." Steve said who out of all the Avengers is still really taken with the role of assistant guardian and caregiver. He read up on all the parenting books and reads it out loud to Tony in bed, Tony pretends to listen and Steve to fascinated by child rearing never quite realized that Tony wasn't listening at all. He just mumbled out an, "Yes dear." and "Is that so how interesting."

And Steve still goes to doctors appointments with Thor and Loki and somewhere Tony thinks its all Steve's quiet yearning perhaps for his own brood which honestly scared the crap out of Tony just to think about.

Dealing with Loki was one thing when you had seven other adults around, but him and Steve alone now that, that was a whole entirely different ball game, one he wasn't sure he was ready to play or would ever be ready to play.

"Good luck on getting him off from mister sippy cup Steve he doesn't even want to sleep without the thing." Bruce said as Loki came running over with a big smile on his face.  
"Did you see me?" Loki asked brushing a long strand of black hair out of his face.

"You were amazing." Bruce told Loki which has Loki grinning even bigger and brighter.  
"Are you enjoying your party?" Clint asked giving Loki's hair a quick tousle and Loki nodded. The party was a quickly constructed affair for one it was kind of a miracle that they were all in the same place for a change after months of hard work and the only people who were missing was Coulson and Fury who had promised they were was on their way and had some urgent Shield matters to attend to. And when did Shield ever not have important matters to attend to.

"My birthday." Loki said, which really isn't much of a birthday party at all, for one there should be more children or at least one child not a group of adults who are the only people Loki spends time with. But this is all he has and really it is the only thing that matters.

"Yeah it's your birthday how old are you?" Bruce asked and Loki looked down at his own hand, Bruce had showed it to him earlier that morning, taken the boy's tiny hand in he's own and uncurled Loki's fingers into a peace sign. And now Loki remembered it on his own and lifted two small fingers and held it up for everyone to see.

"Two." Loki told them and everyone clapped with deep seated pride and joy.  
"Well done Banner." Tony said.  
"He's a quick study next we show him some calculus."

"Can I have my bottle." Loki asked his hand pointing at his baby bag that is laying at Pepper's side.  
Pepper scratched around in the bag and handed it to him before Natasha could ask him what to say, he promptly replied. "Thank you Pepper."

"Good luck with that sippy cup Steve." Tony said laughing.  
"And he is gonna have to start school to he needs be among other children his own age." Steve said unfazed.

"And good luck on letting big brother Thor agree to that." Bruce said.

Thor doesn't let Loki out of his sight much or at all his worse than Steve, always worried about the child's safety together they make a awesome set of mother hens.

"Come play with me." Loki told Bruce.  
"Really? Monkey bars, they aren't really my thing if you..." But Loki was already pouting, his bottom lip curled fully and doing an impressive version of puppy eyes that had everyone snickering.

"Pleeaasseeee." He begged sticking out a hand for Bruce to take.  
"Okay fine and we never talk about this." Bruce said taking Loki's hand and Loki attempted pulling Bruce up to his feet. Together the two walked hand in hand back to the playground where Thor was waiting.

And they're all thinking it how amazing Loki is. He had shown up at their door a small tiny little thing who did nothing but cry, eat and sleep for that first few months as they all tried to figure out what the hell to do with a little child. Now he was walking and talking and every day was a brand new adventure with Loki. One they were all to shy to say out loud but really one they would not change for anything.

"Where's the birthday boy?" They turned around and looked at Coulson.  
"Birthday boy is over there." Tony said pointing at the playground. "Glad to see you busy guys of Shield could make it."  
"Fury can't make it though he asked me to come over." Coulson said just as Loki spotted him and immediately came running over.

"Phil!" Loki cried throwing his arms around the Agent's tall legs.  
"Hey buddy you having a good time?" Loki nodded his head buried against Phil's legs refusing to let go.  
"Look I brought you something and so did Uncle Fury."  
"Uncle Fury?" Tony asked laughing as Loki tore himself away from Phil at the mention of a gift.

"Yeah Uncle Fury insisted I call him that in front of the young god so he can familiarize himself with it."  
"You guys in Shield need to get a life." Tony said and Phil sat down on his hunches in front of Loki and opened a big toy bag he had carried over with him.  
"A bear!" Loki cried out pulling the brown bear out of the bag by its soft ears and eyeing it with wonder and amazement.

"What do you say Loki?" Tasha asked and this time he had forgotten his manners entirely in the excitement of it all.  
"Thank you Phil." Loki said throwing his arms around Phil's neck and squeezing hard.  
"What are you gonna call the bear he needs a name?" Phil asked rubbing Loki's back and Loki eyed the brown bear with thought but not for very long.  
"Boo!" He decided.

"Boo?" Phil asked.  
"He was watching Monsters Inc." Steve explained.  
"We were all watching Monsters Inc...it's all we have been watching I wake up in the middle of night screaming Mike Waszowski!"  
"Mike Waszowski!" Loki shouted and Tony shook his head smiling, yep this was he's life.

"Well Boo is a good name for a bear why don't you go show him to Thor." Phil said and Loki let go reluctantly of Phil's neck and ran back over to his brother. "Fury got him some books...guess Fury's one of those boring adults who gets you clothes and books if you're a kid."

"As long as it's not books on criminal warfare or politics its good." Clint said and Phil's eyes went over to the playground.  
"Is that Banner hanging on to that monkey bars?" He asked very confused.  
"The one and only." Tony whispered reaching for his camera to take a picture of the normally very serious scientist dangling upside down next to some other toddler while Loki was showing off he's new toy to Thor. And in that moment whatever doubt that had ever resided in the hearts and minds of the group about taking in reborn Loki was laid to rest. They had no regrets they had done the right thing.

**A/N Next chapter I am gonna push to get it up for tomorrow because we are so close to the weekend but if not tomorrow then Friday ;) Thank you so much for reading I hope you liked it, take care!**


	5. A visitor

**A/N Happy Valentines Day or just Thursday whichever one you prefer. I bring you an update, one I hope you will enjoy! Again thank you for the comments, the follows etc you are to kind! **

**And now on to the show...**

"I needed to see this with my own eyes." Frigga said and Thor was too shocked to see his mother in Avengers towers that he cannot at first find his tongue. He could not believe she was standing there dressed in her finest clothing eyeing Loki who was playing with Lego blocks, stacking the squares into a long and high tower of rainbow bright colors. He was the picture of complete concentration and hard work, and a little bit of his tongue was stuck out between his lips. He was not even bothered or surprised by her unexpected appearance.

"But we've been here for two years, why now?" Thor asked which he knew was the harshest thing to say to her the moment the words leave his mouth. But it's all he is thinking with her standing there. _Why now? When everything is going well. When everything is fine. Why now?_

"Believe me a huge part of me wanted nothing more than to come here and get you both but I stopped myself when Heimdal told me how well he was doing, how good you both were doing...I remember him exactly like this." Frigga said gazing at Loki who doesn't notice her at all.

"He is a handful, how did you manage with both of us?" Thor asked attempting to remain civil as Loki sent the stacked high Lego blocks flying in all directions.  
"Lots and lots of servants..." Frigga whispered with a laugh and it is like she is no longer in the room, she is back in the past, reliving her younger days with two young boys who had given her a lot of headaches but joy had always outweighed the headaches.

"Loki come here for a minute, here is someone I want you to meet." Thor called over to Loki and Frigga touched his hand as if to stop him from doing it but Loki has already looked up and he comes bouncing over and stepped up to them smiling.

"Loki this is..." And Thor realized he didn't know what to call her, if he was to say Mother that would confuse Loki even more and he has enough confusion in his life he doesn't need any more than he already has.

"Frigga my name is Frigga." She said bending down to Loki's height, her voice is broken a little and she swallowed the words hard like there was something caught in her throat.

"You're pretty.' Loki told her. And she laughed softly through the tears that stung and burned in her eyes.  
"Thank you, aren't you a darling. What are you building?" Loki looked over his shoulder at the mess of blocks.  
"A castle."  
"For a prince?" She asked stroking his hair.  
"And a king and a queen." Loki declared and he goes running back to the mess of squares none the wiser of who he had just met nor the effect he had on her.

"He really doesn't know a thing?" Frigga asked watching him and a little part of her broke in pieces because surely a little bit somewhere of Loki must remember her, his mother.

"I'm afraid he knows nothing...all he has is this here and now." Thor replied wishing now with that sad look on her face that it wasn't the case.

"I suppose I was wrong in expecting something." She admitted which is the worst truth to face up to. All her hope had just been pulled out from under her, the fragile hope she had clung onto for to long.

"Is that why you have come here, if he recognized you, you would take him home?"

"I don't know what I was expecting, maybe a second chance with a child that I had failed the first time around." Frigga said as Pepper walked in and Pepper's face alone betrayeds her, she knows who this is, it is Thor's mother, Loki's mother and her own spirits fall a little as Loki runs over to her and hugs her legs. This cannot be good she thought but managed to keep a brave face on.

"We all failed him mother you do not carry that blame on your own, what does Father say?" Thor asked and his not sure he really wanted to know or even cared. Surely if Odin wanted to know he would be here right now with Frigga. He would not be home and Thor knows Odin disapproved.

"Your Father is a stubborn man and at times a fool, he does what he does because he believes it is the right thing to do."  
"He thinks I am making a mistake then doesn't he having Loki here raising him again?"

"I didn't come here to take Loki from you nor have I come here to discuss Odin's motivations or feelings. I just wanted to spend some time with a little boy whose getting a second chance." She said and Thor nodded but did not really believe her.  
"I am Pepper and you must be..." Pepper said coming over with Loki riding on her hip, playing with her golden hair and Frigga felt the gentle stab of jealousy. Maybe she was better off at home but she would never have stopped wondering what he was like or how Thor was doing no matter how much Heimdal tried to assuage her fears.

"Frigga." And Pepper doesn't know whether she should be bowing or curtsing so she does neither she just struck out a hand awkwardly that Frigga shook.  
"It's an honor to meet you and I couldn't help but overhear you're conversation, if you came to spend some time with him I mean...he really likes Central Park." Pepper suggested and Loki brightened at the name immediately.

"Go to the Park?" He asked proving Pepper's point.  
"See.' Pepper said.

"It is a lovely day for the Park." Frigga agreed looking out of the window at the New York skyline.

"Park! Park going to the Park." Loki fought his way out of Pepper's arms and ran off to grab his three wheeler tricycle that Tony and Bruce built specially for him. Its bright gold and green that plays homage to the older Loki. And the younger Loki is now on it in a matter of seconds and comes riding over. "Ready..." he announced like there needed no further discussion on the matter.

"Well I guess now we don't have a choice." Thor said. "Where's your jacket its kind of cold outside.'  
"No jacket." Loki scowled.  
"Loki." Thor ordered and Loki sighed like a tiny old person and gave up. He climbed off from the bike and went to retrieve he's jacket.

"He always did like the cold." His mother whispered.  
"You're as bad as him and either way last month mister i love the cold got sick and had me up in the middle of the night for over a week."

"I won't say another word." She said running an invisible zip across her lips.  
"Help me." Loki ordered returning with the bright red jacket which Thor slides into his arms and Thor can't help but sneak in a quick kiss to Loki's forehead a kiss Loki is quick to return and Thor zips up the jacket to Loki's throat and that is when Loki's eyes grow wide.

"Go get him." Thor said knowing exactly what had crossed Loki's mind and the child goes galloping off to his room and Frigga waited patiently to see who the _him_ in question was that had nearly been forgotten. She smiled brightly when Loki returned with Boo and stuffs the brown bear into the little basket in front of his tricycle which Tony had added specifically for Boo because there was no outing complete without Boo in attendance.

"Are we ready?" Thor asked.  
"Yes!" Loki said triumphantly and they walked to Central Park where Loki rode ahead of them on his tricycle and many a passerby marvels at how cute he is with his bear riding along with him and Loki ever the sweet little charmer flashed back happy smiles.

"Thor he is so happy." Frigga remarked tucking a hand into the crook of Thor's arm.  
"That he is."  
"And what about you? Heimdal tells me you are fine of course but he cannot see what is in your heart and mind."

"Me?" Thor asked there was so little time for himself it was all just Loki. "I am well. I don't always know what I am doing, but my friends the Avengers have been very helpful and were all learning and I think were doing okay." Thor said as Loki stopped peddling, and Thor spotted the reason for Loki's hesitation there was a woman with a dog on a leash. Like any child his age he adores animals and incessantly asks when he may have one. When you're older Thor has realized is a great answer for questions that needs to be avoided. There is room for a pet at Avenger headquarters but they all have their hands filled with Loki and Thor thinks it will be unfair to them to bring more responsibility into the home.

"Do you want to pet him?" The woman asked Loki who looked like he was not even considering that a question, but he knows better and looked over his shoulder at Thor for permission.

"Go on its okay." Thor told him and Loki immediately ran a small hand across the dog who in turn lapped a good bit of Loki in the face which has the child squealing and giggling.  
"Thor! He likes me!" Loki declared.

"I can see that...when we get home he will ask for a dog I just know it." Thor looked over at his Mother who was looking again at Loki with that distant faraway look, the penny for your thoughts kind of look.

"Thor I think you and your friends are doing a fine job with him perhaps a better one than me and your father ever did."  
"Are you going to take him back this is his home its been his home for the last two years."  
"My intentions like I had said before was just to visit I have no intention of removing him why would I when he is this happy when you are both making me so proud."

"Thank you I appreciate it and you are welcome to stay and visit whenever you want."  
"One day when his older and he asks about his mother and father what will you say?"  
"That they were good people, who loved him very much and sometimes even good people make mistakes but we shouldn't hold it against them no one is perfect."  
"When did you get so wise." She asked.

"I don't have a clue." Thor said with a laugh. "Somewhere between all the late nights when I had to sit up for feedings and had lots of time to do nothing but think of his future and my own."

They had been walking for a while when Loki swung the tricycle around and came up to them lifting his arms up in the air at Thor.

"Mmm tired." Loki said matching it with a big yawn he didn't bother to hold a hand in front of.

"Do you mind?" Frigga asked.  
"No of course not." Thor told her and she picked Loki up who went to her willingly to tired to complain and she held him to her chest this child that had never been hers truly but nonetheless she had loved him and cared for him as though he had been her own. He snuggled he's head into her neck with his thumb lodged into his mouth a habit good old Steve Rogers was trying to break but couldn't since it was to cute.

And Thor carried the tricycle along with Boo as Frigga carried Loki who fell asleep in her arms as she hummed something in his ears that sounded faintly like something from Thor's past but he couldn't be sure.

Loki was still sleeping when they returned to the Avengers home and everyone was waiting there looking like they were all expecting the worst news. Thor tried to clear the air by introducing them to her.

"It is very nice to finally meet you all, tell me where can I lay him down?" Frigga asked.  
"Uh right through there you can't miss it his name is on the door ma'am." Steve said and she smiled at him and carried Loki to his room. They all smiled politely until she disappeared and then they all began talking at the same time.

"Okay nice to meet your mom and all but why is she here?" Clint asked first.  
"Is she taking him back?" Tasha wanted to know.  
"I knew this would happen someday." Steve whispered.  
"My friends no, she just came to visit she has assured me she has no plans on taking him back with her."

"I mean not to sound I don't know, I mean she has every right to him he is her son after all its just that..." Tony said.

"We'll miss him." Bruce said. "A lot."  
"The little brat kinda has a way of..." Tony stopped talking as Frigga returned.

"Of growing on you doesn't he...I remember when Odin brought him home he was just a little thing, crying so much and I thought I could never love him I could never love this child but ones heart always does amazing things...I want to thank you all for what you've done for him what you will continue doing for him?" She asked.

"Were not planning on going anywhere." Tony said.

"That is all I wanted to hear. And now I am afraid I should be going."  
"Why don't you stay for dinner." Steve suggested.  
"Thank you I appreciate the gesture, but I have to be on my way it was nice to meet all of you." She took Thor by he's hand and he walked her to the front door.

"I am very proud of you and what you have done." She said brushing a hand across the rough stumble of his cheek. "This time when he is told the truth of his past he will understand."  
"What makes you so sure?" Thor wanted to know because there was times when he very much doubted any good outcome for the truth.

"Because you love him." She said simply.  
"You loved him as well, we all did."  
"I did and I still do with all my heart, but I think we made it a little difficult for him to see or believe it, he always doubted our sincerity but we gave him that doubt we never loved him enough not like you, not like this time around. Don't make the mistakes we did, tell him, remind him every single day that you love him that you cannot imagine a day without him."  
"I promise I will."

"I love you." She said.

"And I you."

And then she was gone and Thor wondered if he would ever see her again.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed that! Next part up by Monday, thank you again for reading and your support. Take care see you soon 3**


	6. To the moon and back

**A/N Quickly again thank you oh so much for the follows, the reviews and adding this to your favorite stories, hope you all continue getting a kick out of it.**

**And now onto the show...**

"Thor." Loki's small voice sounded faraway and distant to his sleeping brother. "Thor." Loki cried again, this time a little louder than before and he pulled with both his hands at Thor's thick muscled arm. His small hands barely covered the circumference of the arm that dangled from the bed with sheets cast aside to the floor.

"Wake up!" Loki ordered and Thor's arm was to heavy and Loki managed to shake it until it grew to heavy and he let go of it and it landed lifelessly back against the side of the bed. Loki settled on running his hands up and down the length of his brother's skin instead hoping to get Thor out of his dream world which eventually worked.

Thor eyed Loki and he smiled a little wiping a palm over his tired eyes. It is a sight that after months and months that Thor never got tired of nor does he think he ever will.

This sight of his brother who is just a child now, three years old, dark haired, porcelain skinned, dressed in pj's with rockets and astronauts on it and he had his trusty brown scruffy teddy bear dangling at the end of his hand. No, Thor thought to himself he will never get tired of this.

"There is a monster in my room." Loki whispered softly with grave seriousness like perhaps there was some other person in the room that might overhear him, maybe even the monster itself.

Thor's first reaction was to say that there are no such things as monsters but the truth is of course that there are and sometimes they are not just the scary bug eyed monster from a child's nightmare. They are real and far scarier and menacing.

His second reaction is to invite Loki into his bed for the rest of the night simply so that he can go back to sleep because it had been a long day of crime fighting and he needed his rest but Thor is all too aware that, that will not put an end to any of Loki's fears of things that go bump in the night it would just be a temporary solution.

Thor pushed the blankets from his body and groaned feeling the dull ache of pain from his ribcage a throbbing reminder of today's fight and how his body had still not fully recuperated from it.

Loki's eyed him wearily, Thor was not taking this to seriously like he wished he would. For monsters was a very serious business indeed to a young child.

"The monster wants to eat me." Loki professed thinking this new information he delivered will spring Thor into furious action and perhaps he will wake the rest of the Avengers to rid his room from wayward monsters as well.

"And did this monster tell you why he wants to eat you?" Thor asked rubbing a hand across Loki's soft cheek. Loki shook his head, eyes brimming and shining with imminent tears that make his green eyes even brighter.

"So he only said he wants to eat you?" Loki nodded as Thor got up out of bed and Loki grabbed his hand and held it tightly as it is swallowed by the width and grasp of Thor's. Together they walk the short distance to the next room which is Loki's, it says so on the door in bright colored alphabet letters that now in the shadow of the night glow the child's name in the dark in a luminous yellow.

Thor turned on the light switch and the room itself was any little boy's dream, his bed is the shape of a toy car racer and on the walls are animals driving their own little cars smiling bright and friendly, toys are scattered everywhere on the floor.  
Loki wanted for nothing in that department the Avengers spoil him with gifts he fussed and played with until he grew tired of it and it was promptly replaced with some brand new play thing. It was a child's dream room but now the little boy who it belonged to looked intimidated by it and not impressed by it at all.

"Monster you are not eating my little brother." Thor announced loudly to the audience of toys that did absolutely nothing and Loki looked around half expecting some kind of rebuke from the unknown monster who lurked in the shadows of his room. Surely a talking to alone was not going to make the monster just pack up its monstery bags and move along to scare some other poor little boy or girl.

"Be gone! And do not come back!" Thor looked down at Loki who didn't seem to be buying this feeble excuse of a monster exorcism. He had always been a smart one and Thor nearly expected Loki to say are you humouring me and this is all very patronizing. That is what the older Loki would have said but the much younger one sure has the same look on his face now of being utterly annoyed but he lacked the vocabulary to convey his thoughts like his elder self would have.

"See his gone now." Thor whispered picking Loki up and walking him back to the bed where he pulled back the blankets that have the same cartoon characters on it that is on the walls.  
"What if he comes back?" Loki asked as he is put back down on the bed.

"Do you know what monsters are afraid of?" Thor asked as he pulled the blankets around Loki who shook his head and the curls of his dark hair bounced against the pillows.  
"They are scared of teddy bears." Thor said and Loki looked down at his teddy bear tucked safe and sound at his side.  
"His scared of Boo?" Loki asked looking back at Thor surprised and taken aback.

"Mmmmm monsters would you believe are very scared indeed of teddy bears and other stuffed toys so as long as you have Boo here to protect you no monster will come back or dare harm you."  
"But Boo is just one teddy bear? You don't fight alone you have the Avengers, Boo needs an army too." Thor smiled, ah Loki and his army, somethings never did change.

Thor looked around the room and got up from the bed.

"Okay let's see what we have." Thor said collecting from toys around the room and Loki eyed him as he went about he's business.  
"Now you have Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, Iron Man and Black Widow and Boo as well." Thor said returning to the bed and sticking the stuffed toy Avengers around the child who smiled at them all but he still looked a little unconvinced.

"What about Thor?" Loki asked.  
"Aye of course how could I forget Thor." He said picking up his own fluffy version from the floor and stuffing him under the blankets.  
"Now if any monster still happens to find his way into this room there is one last sure fire way to get rid of it." Thor announced.  
"How?" Loki wanted to know wrinkling his nose, yes he wasn't buying any of this at all.

"You kill it with kindness. You love the monster with all your heart" Thor placed his hand across Loki's chest and the gentle heartbeat was felt under his palm.  
"That's silly." Loki proclaimed with a huge smile.

"Are you saying I'm silly." Thor asked sticking a finger into the sides of Loki's which immediately had Loki curled into a tight ball laughing loudly in the empty night. "Me the mighty Thor silly?"

"Not silly I will love the monster. I swear." Loki shouted into the blankets trying fruitlessly to get away from Thor's tickle attack.  
"You will love the monster with all your heart?" Thor asked pulling Loki up by his arms and Loki nodded earnestly.

"All of it." He said as Thor plucked him back amongst the toys. " When you were little were you scared of monsters to?"

"Absolutely but I learned there was nothing to fear." Thor stroked Loki's hair. " So do you think you can go to bed now? Or are you still scared?"  
"No cause I have an army." Loki pulled his army of stuffed toys closer around him.  
"And you have me." Thor whispered.  
"I love you." Loki told him.  
"I love you more."  
"To the moon and back?" Loki asked.  
"Further than that."

**A/N I hope you enjoyed that I had fun writing it. I played on the monster theme a little because in Thor we have Loki telling Odin he was the monster parents tell their children about at night. I think our Loki would have turned out very differently if he knew there was nothing to fear of in monsters and if you did encounter it you killed it with love and kindness. Also I have it on good authority (my nephew) that monsters if they be out there are indeed weary of fluffy animals so armor up folks :)**

** Another new chapter up in a day or two. Take care till then!**


	7. Letting go

**A/N Hey there, another chapter and another chance for me to say thank you to everyone who has been reading, thank you, thank you, thank you! Much appreciated and the reviews guys awww they make me smile thanks again you are to kind and now onto the show...**

Every Sunday afternoon if there was no important business to take care of it was movie time for the Avengers, and movie time of course meant Loki would choose what to watch, it was of course always some animated movie. Loki's choice this time around was Finding Nemo for what felt like the hundredth Sunday in a row but of course to Loki it felt like the very first time and he was standing in front of the TV and no amount of telling him that it was bad to stand so close to it would make him sit down.

"So about Loki and school." Steve spoke up above the noise of the movie, he was sitting next to Tony on the couch who was much to interested in the hundredth viewing of Finding Nemo than he should have been and he hardly seemed to be listening to Steve.

Clint and Natasha was sprawled out on the carpet with a bowl of popcorn between them, Thor and Banner on a sofa across from them and no one was listening to Steve.

"Ssshhhh! Quiet." Loki ordered turning around eyes fixed on Steve alone he raised a finger to his lips and Steve muttered a sorry. Loki's timing was perfect to his favorite part in Finding Nemo and he waited for it patiently rocking back and forth on his heels with excitement.

"He touched the butt!" Loki cried along with the characters and then laughed like he had never seen nor heard of it before.

"When does this stop being funny to him?" Tony asked genuinely perplexed, he just didn't get it how the same old joke could still illicit the same hysterical laughter from Loki every single time without fail.

"I think when he is 18 or something." Bruce replied he looked over at Thor who was smiling as well. "Or maybe never." Bruce changed his mind.

"Anyway guys seriously now back to school and Loki.' Steve had been bringing it up for a while the subject of Loki going to school. And they all dismissed it very quickly.

"He will have to go sooner or later." Steve said bringing it up again one thing you could not fault the Captain on was that he was a very persistent man.

"I vote for home schooling." Tony said.  
"Its not up for voting." Steve replied.

'It is now, all in favor of sending Loki to school raise your hand." Steve lifted his and no one else did no one else except for Loki who turned around away from the TV.  
"Why are you lifting your hand?" Tony asked.  
"Can I?" Loki wanted to know.  
"Can you what?"  
"Can I go to school."

"You put him up to this." Tony said in a accusatory voice like Steve was guilty of some heinous crimes.  
"I didn't."  
"Liar!"

"Can I go?" Loki asked interrupting them. "Steve says its fun." Tony looked over at Steve who refused to meet his eyes.  
"Fine, I may have brought up the idea a few times to him so he would know what to expect and he is very eager to learn things."  
"He doesn't need school yet his to young and besides we teach him all the time." Clint argued.  
"Teaching him how to use the remote isn't really educational now is it.'

"It is when he uses it better than you do Steve." Clint said.  
"Or can actually use it." Tony whispered under his breathe but not low enough so Steve didn't hear him and in one swift movement Steve hit him with a pillow.

"Also showed me to use a bow and arrow." Loki interjected and that stopped the pillow fight between Steve and Tony.

"Hey whoah!" Clint shouted crawling over the carpet quickly to reach Loki whose mouth he covered with his hand.  
"You what?" Thor asked in that thunderous voice of his that meant business and surely maybe outside clouds were already gathering ready to rain down the wrath of the Thunder God on everyone.

"Bad timing kiddo." Clint said with a nervous little laugh, his hand was still smothering Loki's mouth. "That was supposed to be our little secret."  
"Oops.' Came Loki's muffled reply and Clint took his hand away from the child's mouth and Loki went back to watching Finding Nemo.

"You showed him what?" Bruce demanded.  
"Does it matter if I tell you guys that it turns out that he is an excellent shot?" Clint asked looking at the really angry faces directed at him and him alone.  
"No!" Everyone shouted except for Natasha who said yes and they all glared at her.

"Well he is and I am very proud of him and..."  
"He is three years old." Steve forced out every single word. And Loki swung away from the TV raised three fingers to them.

"Very good buddy." Tony applauded giving him a thumbs up which Loki returned and went back to watching the TV.

'He is nearly four years old and besides weren't we talking about how we don't want him to go to school?" Clint asked.

"You just proved that with your training. That he does in fact need to go school because look what is happening here what's next giving him martial arts lessons?' Steve asked.

"That would be ridiculous...and irresponsible" Natasha said dropping her head staring into the bowl of popcorn like it was the most interesting thing ever.  
"Yeah totally irresponsible and we would never, ever do that." Clint whispered.  
"Ever." Tasha added.

"We'll talk about this later but the fact is this he needs to go to school which he is starting tomorrow." Steve announced.  
"What?" Everyone else shouted.  
"Thor?" Tony turned to Thor who looked to be taking the news way to well and to calmly.

"Thor knows and approves." Thor said. Tony shook his head with disgust and dismay.  
"You are unworthy Thor unworthy of the loved ones you have betrayed."

"Funny. What is the worst thing that can happen?" Thor wanted to know.  
"You want a list in alphabetical order or numerical?"  
"So it has been decided Loki's going to school." Steve said.

"Am I going to school?" Loki asked turning away from the TV.  
"Yes you are." Thor said. "Are you happy?"  
"Weeeee!" Loki shouted and went running around the room like he had just won a candy lottery.

"There is something wrong, no kid is supposed to be this excited about going to school." Tony said watching Loki and then it dawned on him. "He was bored with us...this whole entire time."

"He wasn't bored with us Tony." Bruce said but he sounded a little unconvinced. Maybe Tony had a point.

"Then why in the hell is he so happy to get out of here then and far away from us? With complete strangers he doesn't know?"  
"Because." Steve said patiently. "He is going to play and learn and have fun how horrible right. How dare he be excited." Loki came running over out of breathe and pulled Boo in front of Steve.

"Can Boo come with?"  
"School unfortunately is not for bears. Boo has to stay here baby." Loki eyed Boo with disappointment for all of five seconds then smiled again.

"Oh okay can we go now?" He asked.

"He is so tired of us he wants to go now? Already?" Tony said with bitterness.

"Tony!" Steve yelled at him and then he looked at Loki all smiles. "We will go tomorrow, just one sleep and when you wake up..."  
"Your life will be over and you will be sorry you were ever excited about school." Tony whispered in one breathe.  
"Tony!" Everyone yelled.  
"What?" He demanded. "God I am gonna need a drink and I don't even drink anymore." Steve shook his head at Tony and picked Loki up carrying him on his hip.

"Let's go give you a bath while Tony comes to his senses."  
"But you're the one always telling me I have no sense dear..." Tony shouted as the two of them walked out of the room.  
"And it looks like I am right about something again _dear_." Steve yelled back.

* * *

Steve woke up alone the following morning, Tony's side of the bed had not been slept in, it wasn't entirely unusual Tony worked all hours and it was something Steve was accustomed to. He got out of bed and walked through the house, Thor and Loki were in the bathroom Loki singing the theme to Barney very loudly which Steve knew every line of. Everyone else he found in the living room and they all looked like they hadn't slept at all.

"You never came to bed last night." Steve said looking at the mountain of paper spread out on the floor and on the table.

"We had a long hard night, can you get us some coffee." Tony asked.

"Sure...What are you guys working on and why don't I know a thing about it?"

"We were running background checks on the staff at Loki's school." Natasha said matter of factly. Steve wanted to ask if they were joking but their collective serious faces told him they mostly definitely were not.

"They're clean." Clint announced.

"What a shocker, group of people working at a nursery school called Little Bright Sparks don't have a criminal record amongst them, unbelievable." Steve said trying to hide his sarcasm but it just wasn't working.

"Well a few of them have unpaid parking tickets which does not sit well with me." Tony reported as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair.

"Oh please you have a few of your own that just magically disappeared thanks to Coulson." Steve reminded him and then Loki came bouncing in dressed and ready to go with a monkey backpack hanging from his shoulders.

"Hey there he is!" Clint grabbed him under his arms and lifted him to the ceiling.

"Going to school." Loki told him and Clint brought him down to his chest and he held Loki tightly. Clint turned to the rest of them. "Does he really have to go?"

"Oh god, are we really going to do this again?" Steve asked.

"But he is so small and tiny and defenseless and..."

"And you are suffocating him." Thor pointed out and Clint looked down at Loki, okay maybe he was holding him a little to tight.

"You know Loki if you don't need to go school if you don't want to." Tony said pulling Loki out of Clint's arms.

"I wanna go." Tony sighed and put Loki down on the table.

"Fine have it your way, so I got you something." Tony said pulling a bracelet that was an exact replica to the one he wore to call his Iron Man suit to him. "See its like mine if you press it I will come get you no matter what." Tony told him fitting the much smaller bracelet around Loki's wrist.

"Cool." Loki marveled at it and then he threw his arms around Tony's neck. "Thank you."

"But Loki you won't need to use it because everything is going to be fine." Steve said and Tony turned around and gave him a look.

"Ssshh Steve."

"Will you take care of Boo for me while I'm away?" Loki asked Tony.

"Of course buddy."

"Are you crying?" Steve said looking at Tony hard.

"Shut up there is something in my eye."

"A small boy?" Clint asked.

"Can everyone please shut up?"

"Can we go now?" Loki asked.

"We'll get you guys downstairs." Thor said lifting Loki up and Clint and Natasha followed.

"Giving him the bracelet that was nice he'll know you are always close by." Steve told Tony who wiped absentmindedly against the tears he was trying so desperately to hide.

"I just don't want him to think he's alone out there." Steve smiled as Bruce walked in with a laptop. He had really chosen the right guy to be with. It was moments like these that made him realize it more so than other times.

"So the feed from the bracelet is working." Bruce announced.  
"Bruce don't..." Tony yelled but it was to late.

"Wait what is it?" And there went all Steve's warm fuzzy feelings.  
"It has a camera in it." Bruce said like it was the most amazing thing ever, he turned the laptop to face Steve and there it was a live feed of Loki being carried by Thor downstairs to the garage.  
"Seriously?" Steve hitting Tony at the back of his head.  
"What did you think I was going to leave him here unsupervised with people we don't know?"

"People do it all the time and I suppose right now I should just be relieved that there aren't any snipers on the roof.'

"Just because you don't see them Steven doesn't mean they aren't there." Tony whispered.

"Tony? That's a joke right he is joking." Steve turned to Bruce who shrugged, figured, they were as thick as thieves when it came to all things technical.

"Tomorrow no Iron Man bracelet and no Shield agents."  
"Sure Steve. Whatever you say Steve." Said in a way that said pretty much that there would be agents again and spy cameras and there was nothing good old Steve could do about it.

"Okay I am going downstairs to see the little guy on his way." Bruce announced as he left the room, Steve waited for him to be gone before he spoke.

"Hey listen I know what this is about." His voice was soft and quiet as he spoke to Tony who was busying himself clearing up the paperwork on the table.

"Are you a mind reader now, tell me what its all about?"

"You're thinking he is growing up to fast maybe, first its school and who knows what else, but we can't hold him back because were scared and besides he is only three years old. He'll still need us."

"And one day he won't." Steve stepped up grabbed the paper from Tony's hand and tossed them aside.  
"He will always need us and do you think this was any easier for you or for me or Thor for that matter?"  
"You guys were the ones who started it you looked pretty happy to me and okay with it."  
"Well I have news for you it wasn't easy but this is good for him and you think I am not going to miss him around the house in the morning of course I am. And he isn't even gone yet and I miss him already." Steve confessed.

"You're right maybe were all just overreacting it's just he has never been away from us since he got here."

"And its natural to worry about him out there on his own but he will be fine." Steve assured him and he reached out and took Tony's hand.

"We could check him out on the laptop when we get back." Tony said and Steve pulled his hand away.  
"No!" He yelled and the moment was gone.  
"Just for ten minutes?"  
"I said no!"  
"5 minutes!"  
"No!"  
"Is this one of those times when you say no but you really mean yes Steve?"  
"No!"

**A/N My love for Steve and Tony acting like a old married couple knows no bounds *heavy sigh* Also at this point I feel like the Avengers need Loki in their life a little more than he needs them. Having Loki has given the team something that is not work and business. I speak of experience being around my nephews has a way of making me forget the bullshit in my life and appreciate the little things kids are amazing like that. And for the Avengers its the same thing so its a little hard for them to just let go even if its a simple thing like having the kid off to school. **

**Anyway I really hope you liked it, would you believe until last night this draft was around 300 words of just dialogue drabble and I was worried about it not filling out well but I think I did okay and I hope you think I did okay. Till next time reader, take care!**


	8. All you need is love

**A/N Apologies for the delay in an update, real life was kicking me around a little bit, actually more than a little but that is not why you are here, you came for a story and onward to a story...**

"I need you to come collect Loki a little earlier today." The person on the other end of the phone call when Steve answered it was Loki's nursery school teacher, Michelle. Loki had been at the school for weeks now and had settled into the routine of it all much better than anyone of them had expected.

But now hearing Michelle's voice and the apprehension in it Steve could feel the steady build up of fear in him that made him think something was very wrong, because for one she had never called there before and secondly she had never asked for Loki to be fetched earlier from school.

"Why do you want me to come get him? Is he okay, did he get hurt, is he sick?" Steve's mind immediately flashed to every worst case scenario and at the end of each scenario was a big huge I told you so waiting from Tony who had never been supportive of Loki venturing out to begin with and now if something had happened to Loki, Tony would be ready and waiting to throw it all back at Steve and Thor whose idea it was in the first place.

"He is fine, but he is a little upset about something that happened in class, something I would rather discuss with you here in person than on the phone." She told him.  
"Okay sure, I will be right over." Steve was the only one at home besides Tony who was working on god knew what in his lab. Steve thought of not bothering Tony and going alone until Tony came walking into the room right that minute holding up his wrist band to Steve's face. The wrist band was flashing a foreboding red.

"He pressed the button." Tony said in a grave voice. Loki had not once used the replica Iron Man bracelet Tony had given him. Not even childish curiosity could persuade him to press the button just to see what would happen. He understood in a way that had made everyone very proud of him that the bracelet was for emergencies only. "He has never pressed it before. He is in trouble and now we can't even see what's going on over there because you guys made me disable the camera." Tony argued and then he looked Steve up and down quizzically.

"Why aren't you freaking out?"  
"Because he's teacher just called here and said we should come get him, something happened and she wants to have a talk with us...no one else is here so guess its me and you." Steve said even though he really wished it was just him going to fetch Loki.

"Did he get hurt?" Tony asked.  
"She said he is fine just a little upset."  
Steve didn't have to say another word Tony had heard enough and grabbed his car keys.

The drive over to the nursery school had Tony breaking every traffic violation in the book. Steve thought of asking Tony to slow down but thought better of it and simply slipped the seat belt tighter around his body.

At the school the teacher led them to the play room, the rest of the children were outside and their screams of laughter and happy voices were a far cry from Loki who was playing by himself with building blocks.  
"Hey buddy." Tony called over to him and Loki looked up and went running over, his arms opened wide for Tony to pick him up which Tony did and he held Loki tightly like he was never intending of letting him go again.

"What happened?" Steve asked leaning over and he stroked Loki's cheeks, Loki's eyes were puffy and red from crying. And Steve was glad Thor wasn't there to see this, Thor did not bring Loki back to have him like this. This was not what a second chance was supposed to be like.

"How are things at home?" The teacher asked and Tony shook his head as he rubbed Loki's back in wide comforting circles. This was one of the things he had seen coming, someone somewhere was bound to have reservations about a group of super heroes raising a kid and under the circumstances Tony really hated being proven right.

"Things are great at home." Tony told her and there was annoyance in his voice and she spotted it immediately.

"I am sure it is but from what you and Loki has told me things are a little complicated..." Steve didn't let her finish.

"There is nothing wrong or complicated about it. Why don't you just tell us what happened here."

"We had a little project this morning in art, we asked the class to draw their families...Loki drew all of you at home and some of the other children began asking where his mum and dad was and he got a little confused..."

Steve felt his heart plummet.

"I suggest you talk to him because he is clearly confused and bothered about it." She told them.

"Thank you we'll do that."

As they left Loki held onto Tony like he was attached to him, he wouldn't even let Tony put him in his car seat, and Tony ended up on the back seat with Loki curled up on his lap.

"Well this sucks." Is all Tony had to say and then there was nothing but the sound of the radio between all of them till they got home to the Avenger Mansion. When they get there Loki seemed like his old self and he greets everyone in sing a long voice.  
"Hello Jarvis." He also added as he walked in and dumped his backpack on the floor.

"Good afternoon master Loki." The robotic voice replied.

"Milk?" Loki asked Steve who automatically wanted to say yes and do everything that Loki asked for just to have him happy again or simply smiling.

"Why is he home so early.' Tasha wanted to know and they filled her and the others in quickly of what had happened and there was a automatic collapse of spirits in the room.

"Loki do you want to talk about what you had to draw today?" Tasha asked Loki shook his head pulling out a coloring book and crayon set.

"Did you have to draw your family?" Thor inquired and Loki nodded but didn't add anything further. He seated himself down on the carpet and paged through the coloring book.

"Who is your family?" Steve asked.

"You are." Loki replied and there was finally the beginning of a smile on his face but it diminished quickly when Loki remembered everything else that had happened at school."But I don't have a mummy and daddy like everyone else."

"Is that what the children said to you?" Loki nodded and Tony thought if they weren't kids he would go back to the school and beat up the lot of them.

"There are many children who don't have mummy's and daddy's Loki." Clint said and that made no difference to Loki all he knew was what he didn't have and that was a mother and father and all he knows now is that he is different.

The Avengers all sat there in silence looking at one another, every time they thought they had the whole parenting thing down something would come along and make them realize they were never truly going to know how to deal with everything. Especially things like this.

"So did you draw something?" Bruce asked and Loki nodded without interest far to interested in the coloring book in front of him.  
"You want to show us what you drew?"

"Yeah we really want to see what you drew." Tony said and Loki got up and went for his backpack and scratched around in it and he unrolled a long piece of paper and held it up in front of his chest. And drawn on it in bright crayon colors there was a long line of child like drawings but very familiar looking stick figures.

"I drew my family." Loki revealed.

"Whose this?" Tasha asked pointing at a fiery red head.  
"It's you!"

"Its beautiful." She said after clearing a lump from her throat.

"And that's Tony making me a toy with Bruce." Loki put his finger down on the drawing pointing at two stick figures very hard at work.  
"Well aren't I a handsome son of a gun."Tony said with a smile.

"Thor takes me to the zoo, Steve is helping me play catch, Clint making me pancakes."  
"Whose that guy is that Coulson?" Clint asked admiring the drawing closer and Loki nodded.

"He looks after me."

"See Loki I know you don't have a mummy or a daddy but all those things we do with you like take you to the park and reading you stories that's what parents do as well." Thor said pulling his brother closer to him. "And we love you as much as any other mother and father love their children."

"Plus we are way cooler than other parents. Hello I am Iron Man for crying out loud" Tony said.

"And other children have two parents but I have one, two, three..." Loki stopped counting because he could only count till three and he looked at Thor expectantly.

"Six people who loves you more than anything else in this whole world." Thor told him.

"So you still upset about not having a mummy or daddy?" Steve asked and Loki shook his head and he was finally smiling again.

"No cause I have all of you."

"You better believe it and that picture needs to go on the fridge come on lets go put it up." Tony said lifting Loki up and carrying him to the kitchen.

**A/N You can bet your ass I was humming All you need is love while writing this, because is it not true that's all you need sometimes a little bit of love. So my message to you is this, today spread some love, be kind, the world is a dark place sometimes let's not add to the darkness. Thank you for reading next expected update in a day or two. Take care!**


	9. The babysitter

**A/N Hey everyone firstly thank you for the reviews and adding this story to your favorites it keeps me going! Just a heads up there are 6 parts left to this story and in an unexpected turn of events there is a little surprise at the end but something I don't want to get into now because its a secret and I don't want to spoil anything for you yeah so this is me basically being a tease. Anyway now that we are on the same page onto the story...**

"I need everyone out there." Nick Fury told the team of Avengers who were gathered in the Helicarrier's boardroom.  
A bunch of wayward aliens with no concept or idea that they were messing with the wrong planet had showed up overnight with the idea of annihilating earth and of course the Avengers had been called in because what was a fight for earth's survival without the world's mightiest heroes stepping in to save the day.

"You need all of us?" Steve asked with a worried face and there were other equally worried faces sitting around the table that matched his own. Fury turned away from the monitor that displayed the alien life forms entering earth's atmosphere and looked at Steve angrily with his one good eye.  
"Is there something wrong with your hearing son?"

"No my hearing is fine thanks, the reason that I am asking is pretty simple we can't all go out there at once."  
"I'm sorry was I asking your highness if it suited him? I want you all out of here and out there taking care of this situation am I making myself clear enough?" Fury said pointing out of the windows and then he slammed a hand down on the desk sending everyone's coffee vibrating in their cups.

'It's just that there is no one to look after Loki." Bruce spoke up for the rest of the team and their equally concerned faces. Fury rolled that one good eye of his back in his head.

"Have you heard of this thing called a babysitter?" No one knew it but Fury's actual special power was really making all of the Avengers feel collectively stupid. He was very good at it.

"We don't trust just anyone to look after him sir because maybe you forgot I mean you are getting old, brain's about to go custard, so friendly reminder, in his time Loki had a lot of enemies and well who knows, someone might think that it was time to get some revenge on a innocent little kid." Tony said.

None of them said anything for a while and they guessed that, that had settled the matter. Not all of them would be going on the mission one of them would have to stay with Loki that was what they thought of course until Fury pushed back his long black leather jacket and standing with his hands on his hips he whispered words they never thought he would ever utter.

"Fine I will babysit him."  
"What?' They all asked together.

"What do you think I can't? I look after you morons every other day.' He barked.  
"Not the same thing." Tony whispered not wanting to have Fury go off on another tirade of screams.

"You be your ass it's not the same its probably easier! And are you doubting my abilities?"

"No, no, we don't doubt your abilities at all director." Thor said ever the peacemaker but then he thought his own words through and he shook his head. "Well yes actually maybe this is not such a good idea."

"Oh how hard can it be watching the kid you morons do it all the time." He pointed out.  
"Famous last words." Clint uttered.

"Hey Loki." Phil called out and Loki crawled out from under the desk they were sitting around with a notebook and crayon in hand and he looked at Phil expectantly. "How do you feel about spending the day with Uncle Fury on the Helicarrier?"

Loki looked over at Nick Fury who flashed him a charmless and kind of scary smile.  
Loki shrugged. "Okay." He decided then went crawling back under the desk again.

"I really don't like how he is always so comfortable with us leaving him with strangers what is that?" Tony asked.  
"Were not exactly strangers." Phil pointed out.  
"But you are strange."Tony said which Phil couldn't exactly argue with.

"So were really gonna leave him with..." Steve looked over at Fury. "No offence, Fury?"  
"Yep." Fury replied.  
"Wow this is going to be the worst mission ever." Clint said.  
"Worse than Budapest." Tasha finished.

"Okay so that settles it gentlemen and lady you're up." Fury ordered.

They all began suiting up to leave and when they were done they found Loki in the Shield boardroom sitting at the end of the table which was meant for Fury but Loki looked rather comfortable in the chair.  
"Okay Loki what are we going to do first?" Fury asked.  
"We can watch TV." Loki suggested.  
"Good idea we can keep an eye on the news see how the Avengers are doing when they get out there." Loki pulled a face.  
"No I want to watch cartoons."

"Listen kid you would only be doing yourself a favour by staying up to date with current affairs and the current affair is that we have a team of aliens who is threatening earth and its civilization do you recognize how important that is?"  
"Hey, hey, Fury he is four years old that is way to much reality there." Steve shouted.  
"You are babying him." Fury said.  
"Yeah cause his four years old! Just put the cartoons on."  
"This is a bad idea one of us should stay." Clint said. "Were gonna come back and Loki will be left with a lifetime of therapy ahead of him...again"

"Okay that's it I have had enough of all your whining everyone out now!' Fury yelled and even Loki jumped at the noise. He looked over at the Avengers but there was a grin on his face, because for a change someone was ordering the Avengers around. That was kind of a welcomed change since they were always the ones who was shouting at him to pack away his toys and sit down and listen and go bath and yeah Uncle Fury shouting at the Avengers was quite a blast especially because they listened to him and looked actually scared.

"You be good and listen to Director Fury." Thor said giving Loki's hair a quick tossle and he dropped a kiss on his forehead.  
"I will Thor." He replied.  
"And Fury he is at the _why_ stage." Bruce said pulling at Loki's rosy cheeks.  
"The what now?" Fury asked.  
"He asks a lot of questions can you please use tact when answering him."  
"Are you implying that I am in fact not tactful?"  
"No of course not all I am saying is he is four years old and he has a lot of questions and it can be annoying but we try our best to answer as tactfully as possible."

"And not to much sugar it makes him kind of..." Steve was cut off abruptly by Tony.  
"Happy!"  
"Tony." Steve whispered with a warning because he was going to say sugar made Loki very hyperactive but clearly Tony was seeing a chance to mess with Fury.

"Ssshh...lotsa sugar and soft drinks. Ice cream, sweets everything give him everything."  
"I'll remember that." Fury said with seriousness.

"And no swearing in front of him please." Bruce added as they all made their way to the exit.  
"If you swear you have to put money into the swear jar." Loki informed Fury.  
"We don't have a swear jar on the Hellicarrier."  
"I can make one." Loki offered.  
"Fantastic, okay everyone get the hell out of here and go assemble."

And none of them moved through the door. When did saying goodbye become so hard? And it had nothing to do with leaving him with Fury it had everything to do simply with leaving Loki behind. "Out! Now!" Fury yelled and they all left rather reluctantly.

Loki looked up at Fury.  
"Can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"  
"Yeah I suppose so... I actually don't know if we have that on the Helicarrier but this is the Helicarrier we should everything lets go." Loki slid off from the chair and went over to Fury, he took the Director's hand in his own and was led to the kitchen where some agents were getting coffee and food from vending machines, they watched the figure of Fury holding Loki's hand with smiles until Fury scowled at them silently and they stopped smiling.

"Don't you have work to do? The world is under attack what the hell do you need coffee for."  
And there was a chorus of yes sir, sorry sir, won't happen again sir and everyone disappeared leaving the coffee behind and Loki and Fury were left with a huge empty kitchen all to themselves.

Loki stared at Fury for a long time.  
"What?' Fury asked.  
"What happened to your eye?"  
"Shrapnel." Loki wasn't sure he knew what shrapnel was but he didn't ask all he knew was it sounded kinda bad.  
"Did it hurt?"  
"Yeah of course."  
"Did you cry?'  
"No of course not men do not cry."  
"Why?"  
"I don't know because I said so."

He lifted Loki up and put him on the kitchen counter top and Loki rocked his legs back and forth watching Fury head to the fridge and open it.  
"Do you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?" Fury stared into the fridge like maybe he wanted to climb inside of it and hide there until the Avengers returned from the mission, instead he took a huge breathe and he turned around and looked at Loki over his shoulder.  
"Neither."  
"Why?" Loki asked still swinging his legs back and forth.  
"Well do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?" Fury asked and Loki squinted at him like maybe he thought Fury was crazy.  
"I'm only four."  
"Oh so that makes it okay? How convenient for you...so do you want to discuss my love life further or do you want this sandwich or not."  
"I want the sandwich."

Fury's mobile phone began ringing he took it out and looked at the screen, the caller ID said it was Thor.  
"Is everything going alright over there?"  
"Never better don't you have a planet to save?"  
"Indeed I do." And the line ended abruptly with a crash of lighting.

Fury went back to the fridge where he found jars of peanut butter and jelly and a loaf of bread, he put it down in front of Loki who watched his every move.  
"Where do babies come from?" Loki asked. Fury unpacked the slices of bread from the bag very carefully onto a plate. He was pretty sure this was all one big huge joke being played on him by the Avengers and they had most definitely put Loki up to this.

"Huh Uncle Fury?" Loki persisted. "Where do babies comes from?"  
"Babies... come... from a hospital." Fury said and Loki nodded his eyes were deep and thoughtful.  
"Did I come from a hospital to?"  
"Yep." Fury said spreading the jelly on the bread and then his phone rang again. He knew without looking that it was another Avenger phoning him.

"Hey Nick what's the kid doing?" It was Tony and in the background Fury could hear loud bangs of explosions and screams.  
"I have a question for you Tony how is my alien invasion going?" Fury asked.  
"Everything is under control boss now back to the kid...wait just hold on a second." There was a huge burst of gun fire on the line and Fury held the phone away from his ear, a couple of seconds later just like he had said Tony returned to the phone. "Woah that was close...how is he, lemme, say hi to him."  
Fury ended the call immediately without saying another word to Tony and he looked at Loki.  
"You've made them all nuts you know that." Loki shrugged like it was all in a day's work.

"Why do dogs bark?" Loki asked and Fury sighed heavily he was beginning to feel the dull throb of a headache coming on that would evolve into a train smash of a headache very soon.  
"Because Loki they don't moo that's why." Fury said putting the plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of Loki who eyed it unimpressed. He lifted the corner of the bread like he was dealing with something very gross and disgusting.

"No crust and Thor cuts it into squares." And Fury's phone began ringing again this time it was Tasha.  
"Why aren't you telling anyone how Loki is doing?"  
"Because need I remind you Agent Romanoff that you are in fact on a goddammned mission that's why."  
He ended the call and went back to cutting the crusts off the slices of bread and then cutting it into little bite sized squares. He pushed the plate back in front of Loki who took one square and took a single bite out of it telling Fury with the bite that it met his approval.

"Uncle Fury why are there no more dinosaurs?' Loki wanted to know.  
"They moved away to a better planet now eat your sandwich."  
And that was when Fury's phone began ringing again.  
"You know Director this mission would go so much better if you just put everyone's mind at ease and said Loki was okay." Barton said on the other end of the line.

"Listen here and you listen good if one more of you motherfu..." Loki's eyes grew wide and he shook his head back and forth with dismay.  
"Swear jar.' He reminded Fury who sighed heavily.  
"If one more of you _Motherfathers_ phone here and ask about the kid I am going to suspend the very last one of you and put you on desk duty for a month." Fury yelled and he switched the phone off entirely as Loki finished his sandwich and said thank you very politely for it.  
"Okay what do you want do now?" Fury asked.  
"Tell me a story."  
He picked Loki up from the kitchen counter and they made their way back to the Shield boardroom where cartoons were still playing on the TV. Loki ran for the Director's chair again and climbed onto it.

"So once upon a time there was this evil bad aliens..." Fury began as he sat down on the table and Loki shook his head.  
"No from a book."  
"And where am I supposed to find a book?"  
"In my bag." Loki said pointing over to his backpack on the other side of the room. Fury looked at it then back at Loki. "Lemme go get it for you."  
Fury got the backpack and pulled out a copy of The Cat in the hat which he carried back over to Loki who clapped in expectation as Fury sat back down and opened the book.

"The sun did not shine it was to wet to play. So we sat in the house on that cold, cold wet day" Fury read in the most deadpanned serious voice and Loki began shaking his head.  
"Uh uh." He muttered.  
"What's wrong now?" Fury asked with a sigh.  
"You have to do the voices. Bruce does the voices."  
"I am not doing the voices."  
"Why?"  
"Because I don't want to!" And suddenly Fury sounded more like the four year old than the actual four year old in the room.  
"Please!" Loki dragged the word out and he pulled on Fury's sleeve. Fury couldn't decide what was worse, having old Loki back here years ago blowing the place up or this mini version. Old Loki was winning the vote so far in Fury's book because old Loki had never asked to be read The Cat in the hat to.

"The sun did not shine it was to wet to play..." Fury spoke in a suddenly animated voice that did not go with him at all and he looked around to make sure no one was seeing or hearing this he had some reputation to live up to, and reading The cat in the hat was going to damage everything he had ever worked for. After finishing the book and thinking he was off the hook Loki informed him he had to read it again. And again. And again and by the fifth reading Loki was bored of it and dug out his crayons and notepaper.

"Do you want to draw with me?" Loki asked.  
"Uh no but you go on right ahead."Fury noticed Coulson standing in the doorway and he walked over to him.

"How you holding up." Coulson asked with a smile.  
"There isn't enough painkillers in the world to take away the headache." Fury said rubbing at his temples.  
"That good huh?" Coulson asked.  
"Just between me and you." Fury looked over at Loki who was lost in his own little world drawing. "Those fools are doing a good job with him."  
"Fury if I didn't know any better I would say you were getting sentimental."  
"Shut up."

"Anyway those fools you were talking about they are on their way back, mission accomplished so he will be out of here very soon."  
"Good." Fury said but he didn't sound entirely convincing. The Avengers returned in under an hour and Loki was up and out of his chair greeting them with hugs and kisses.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Thor asked him and Loki nodded.  
"Yes!"  
"Good, go grab your things we can go home now." Thor told him and Loki ran over to collect his backpack and a large piece of paper which he ran with straight to Nick.  
"That's you." Loki told him giving him the drawing which had an uncanny depiction of a very annoyed looking Fury minus one very obvious detail. "I fixed your eye now it won't hurt anymore." Loki said and Fury ran a hand over Loki's hair.  
"Thanks kid."  
Bruce lifted Loki up and carried him on his hip.  
"Lets go home so Uncle Fury can have a break he looks like he needs it."  
"Uncle Fury told me where babies come from." Loki said proudly.  
"Oh no." Clint groaned here was the part where they found out how much Fury had damaged Loki for good.  
"From a hospital!" The Avengers all looked at Fury amused.  
"Was that tactful enough for you Banner?"  
'You make an okay babysitter are you available again this weekend?"  
"I am available." Fury said. "Never again!"

**A/N I loved Loki calling Nick, Uncle Fury, I had to restrain myself from putting Uncle Fury into every single sentence haha**  
**Anywho hope you enjoyed it, see you very soon, take care, thank you for reading and have a fantastic day wherever you find yourself!**


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